Ghost Writing / Blogging

All Hail the Great Salt Pig!

Despite the introduction of salt shakers in the early 1900′s the Salt Pig is still alive and snorting, thanks in large part to its loyal fans, most of whom are chefs.

I have had mine for a long time, and I love the big fella. Of course, for me I had to get one that actually resembles a pig, so I can talk to him like he’s Wilson and I’m Tom Hanks.

The Great Salt Pig sits, perched in the kitchen, overseeing all the cooking that goes on around him. No matter the humidity in the kitchen, he insists on delivering clump-free salt nearly every time. And somehow, the bugs know to stay away from the beast, which is oddly the opposite of how it works with pigs on the outside!

With the large opening on the side for easy access to salting throughout the cooking process, it is wonderful for us chefs who salt to taste. When you want salt for a dish you are cooking, you reach into the large opening on the Salt Pig, and grab out pinches of salt. And the pinch is the reason most chefs will say it is actually easier to control the quantity of salt being used, so we wind up using less…because we trust our touch.

With all the gadgets and technology we have these days, the Salt Pig endures! It is functional, simplistic, and is a little reminder of simpler times in a hectic world.

If you don’t have one, I highly recommend picking one up – and get one that looks like a pig!

Fun Fact: The name of the Salt Pig is derived by an old Scottish word for a clay pot or jar: Pig. It is the same reason we call ceramic pots with money in them – piggy banks.